Jordi Fernandez slams the Nets' early collapse against the Lakers as "unacceptable," demanding a higher level of fight from the jump.
The Brooklyn Nets fell to 13-36 after a brutal 125-109 defeat against LeBron James, Luka Dončić and the visiting Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night.
Though the Nets were able to muster some fight to make the final box score look reasonable, the Lakers quickly jumped out to a 45-23 lead at the end of the first quarter against Brooklyn, knocking down their first seven attempts from the field in the process and later notching a game-high 39-point advantage early in the second half.
Nets head coach Jordi Fernandez had the opportunity to take away plenty of rough moments and stretches from the night in what could have been James' (25 points, seven assists) final game as a visitor in Brooklyn, but their incredibly early first-quarter collapse was his main gripe in the post-game press conference.
During his post-game media availability, Fernandez spoke to YES Network's Meghan Triplett about the team's energy and discipline in the opening quarter and how it set the tone for the rest of the evening. He also made sure to point out that the team's level of fight in the second half was different than in recent contests.
"I mean, you start losing the game by 22 (points), and then you end up losing by 16," Fernandez told Triplett.
"I thought from there we competed to a higher level, especially closing the second quarter into the second half, and the whole second half."
"I like the reaction and competitiveness and not quitting...but obviously, that first quarter is unacceptable. Obviously we have to watch and be better."
A number of factors led the Lakers to nearly double up the Nets after the first frame, but one of them might not even concern the Nets' effort.
To begin the night, both Dončić and James established that it would be their night, to put things simply.
Both all-time greats spent the opening minutes of the matchup displaying their knack for hitting tough jump-shots, despite several Nets offering up solid contests. In fact, Dončić's first hit from the mid-range on an attempt over Nic Claxton nearly scraped the Barclays Center roof before dropping through the net.
To a degree, the Lakers' offense just beat the Nets' best defensive effort, but there were other areas of concern for the rebuilding squad. Namely, each of their four turnovers in that first frame were ugly and led to transition opportunities, and their 1-for-10 shooting from three-point range did not help their case for a comeback in the next period.
Maybe the Nets jsut got a bit unlucky against the NBA's leading scorer in Dončić (33.6 points) and one of the game's greatest players ever in James, but their decision-making will surely be a point of contention that Fernandez shares with the rest of Brooklyn's locker room during their next film session.
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